Henry Wilbur Bentley (September 30, 1838 – January 27, 1907) was an American educator, lawyer, and politician who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

from 1891 to 1893.

Biography

Born in DeRuyter, Madison County, New York, Bentley was the son of Zadock T. and Lucy Caroline (Gardner) Bentley. He moved with his parents to

Morrisville, New York Morrisville is a village in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 2,199 at the 2010 census. The village is named after its founder, Thomas Morris. The Village of Morrisville in the northwest part of the Town of Eaton on ...

, attended Morrisville Union School,

Yates Polytechnic Institute The Yates Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1824 by John B. Yates in the village of Chittenango, New York, United States. The large building in which the institution was located was constructed in 1814 as a tavern before it was purchased by Yat ...

, and Judd's private school in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. He married Mary M. Dickerman.

Career

Bentley taught school for several years and studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1861 and commenced practice in Boonville, New York. He served as chairman of the Oneida County Building Commission, and as president of the village of Boonville in 1874, from 1889 to 1891, and in 1899.

Tenure in Congress

Elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Fifty-second Congress in the Democratic landslide of 1890, Bentley was

for the twenty-third district of New York from March 4, 1891 to March 3, 1893. He defeated incumbent Rep.

James S. Sherman James Schoolcraft Sherman (October 24, 1855 – October 30, 1912) was an American politician who was a United States representative from New York from 1887 to 1891 and 1893 to 1909, and the 27th vice president of the United States under President ...

, the future Vice President of the United States. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1892 to the Fifty-third Congress when Sherman defeated him and reclaimed his old seat. He continued the practice of law in Boonville, New York.

Death

Bentley died in Boonville, Oneida County, New York, on January 27, 1907 (age 68 years, 119 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Boonville Cemetery, Boonville, New York.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bentley, Henry Wilbur 1838 births 1907 deaths People from Madison County, New York People from Boonville, New York New York (state) lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians People from Morrisville, New York